SPI boating businesses prepare for potential storm

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas ( ValleyCentral ) — The boating community in the Laguna Madre area could be seriously impacted by the potential storm.

Bay cruises, fishing charters and dolphin watch businesses are planning for the arrival of Beryl, or another storm in the area.

Russell Stockton, the owner of Dolphin Docks in Port Isabel sees his main priority as taking care of his boat. But, he says he also has other concerns regarding his business.

“We remove all the stuff off the dock that’s loose or might be blown away. Load that on the boat as we go and then go ahead and board up the office,” Stockton said.

Stockton is no stranger to the damage a storm can bring. He said his docks recently took a beating during Tropical Storm Alberto.

“The damage we’ll get here at the dock, you’ll get some three, four-foot waves come through, along with winds and high tides.”

Stockton’s concerns about damage are also shared by others in the area.

Several businesses in Port Isabel and on South Padre Island, say they are taking a “wait-and-see” approach.

Once Beryl passes the Yucatan Peninsula, they will have a better understanding of the storm’s track and what they will need to do to keep safe.

Other chartering and tour services say they when they have a better handle on the specifics, they may need to sail further north towards Corpus Christi to keep the boats from suffering any damage. For his part, Stockton said he is going to store his boat locally.

“We actually go, not to the port, but where the shrimp basin is. We tie them up on the docks, and then we pull the boats away from the dock so they’re just kind of in the middle of the channel. So they’re protected from the wind up there, because they’re in the channel, and also from the waves,” Stockton said.

As of Wednesday, his plan was to move the boat to safety on Saturday afternoon. However, those plans could change if the storm picks up speed as it enters the Gulf.

“We’ll just stay there until the weather clears up. And if the docks tore up, we’ll have the docks repaired and then we’ll bring the boats back.”

Everyone involved in the boating industry that spoke to us said the storm could not have come at a worse time.

The Fourth of July is one of the busiest times of year for these businesses, and they were anticipating an especially good holiday weekend.

One boat captain said he was remaining optimistic about the prospects for the weekend. So the ship has not sailed yet on looking forward to a successful Independence Day weekend.

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